


Cut The Love You Pieces Out of Me

by fuckinuchihas



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Date Epilogue, Embarrassed!Reader, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Uzumaki relative, Injured!Reader, Konohamaru/Reader ending, not explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:46:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25247863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuckinuchihas/pseuds/fuckinuchihas
Summary: You're injured on a mission, Konohamaru is your comrade turned caretaker, because he refuses to do the smart thing and leave you behind.  The thing is, he keeps helping and being all gentle and shit and you can't really take any more of it.Or that one where you kinda fall in love with the village namesake.
Relationships: Adult!Konohamaru/Reader, Sarutobi Konohamaru/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

You don’t want to use it, you haven’t in years...it’s hidden for a reason and only members of the Uzumaki clan have mastered it. It will give too much away and yet…

You will die,  _ Konohamaru  _ will die if you don’t. 

Giving your own life for a mission is one thing, but you won’t let his light fade out so quickly.

“Adamantine Sealing Chains!!” you shout, the last threads of your chakra sear out from your chest. You feel your heart pound in your ears, it’s so loud you can’t hear or focus on anything else. Not until it slows to a stuttering rhythm and you manage to lift your eyelids one more time. 

You got the bastard. He made it clear that he was hell bent on bringing down the leaf and then moving on to the entire land of fire plus he had the power to back it up.

You feel faint but force your eyes to stay open until you’re really sure he’s no longer a threat and finally, the dark, cold chakra that you’re pulling from him ebbs out. You sigh in relief as your body starts to fall, you barely feel the soft landing before everything slips into the darkness.

  
  


* * *

“Hey, don’t you think it’s time to get up now?” he says, though the normal playfulness is forced. You can tell even after only knowing him for a few days. The jonin apprentice to the hokage, has actually been quite useful, much to your surprise. 

You’d heard rumors that Lord Seventh had taken the kid under his wing back when he was a genin himself and you considered the possibility that maybe it was just a brotherly fondness for the boy. However their relationship must have matured alongside their incredible ninja powers because other than the one time you were lucky enough to catch the end of a battle starring Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja; before he became the sixth hokage, you’d never seen anyone so...so... _ badass.  _

It was hot. 

You didn’t wanna wake up from the nice dream you were having, reliving the moment your own badass skills saved the people of the village hidden in the leaves. They might not be your own clan, but with an Uzumaki in charge it felt more like home than anywhere else. 

_ “Mmm home,” _ you say, mumbling in your sleep. 

“I’m afraid that’s not possible just yet. You need to eat something so you can regain your strength,’ he says, though you’re not lucid enough to really process the words.

You float in that in between sleep and rest stage just a little longer before the pains of battle bring you crashing back to reality. You grunt as you attempt to sit up, but he puts a gentle hand on your shoulder and quickly keeps you from elevating too much. 

“Easy, you’re still in pretty bad shape and I did a rush job on wrapping that leg, you need to be careful,” Konohamaru says, but he is a solid weight at your back and helps you sit up just enough to comfortably drink the soup broth he made for you. 

You look skeptically at the dish, “I have some food pills in my pack…” you say, but he vetoes it quickly with a shake of his head. 

“You need the protein, it’s not bad I promise,” he says, offering a spoonful. 

“Not bad, how reassuring…” you answer sarcastically, but you sip the broth all the same. It has a weird salty taste like he showed absolutely no restraint to seasoning but you’ve certainly had worse so you keep quiet and let him feed you. 

And here you were hoping to escape this with your dignity intact. So much for plans A-F for fuck my life.

Once you’ve ate enough to suit him and your stomach, you do start to feel mildly better which really only makes you feel worse. The numbness and emotional distance from the fight have disappeared bringing your pain and injuries to the forefront of your mind. 

“So can I ask you something?” he says, and you sigh. You expected this was coming. 

“If I say no, will you give up?” you reply, clouding your eyes and flattening yourself back against the mat. 

“If you don’t want to answer I’ll understand and try not to bother you but obviously after that...I can’t help but be curious.”

It’s fair, it definitely wasn’t something you wanted to reveal but now he’s seen more of you than anyone has in a long time and somehow that makes you feel like he deserves a few answers. You swallow and breathe out a long exhale. “You can have three questions, and if you tell  _ anyone _ , you’re dead.” 

You expect him to just come out with a bunch of nonsense because as much as he’s nurtured some damn fine jutsu, he’s kind of like an excitable puppy at the best of times. Instead he nods and starts to think on it. Fuck...it means his questions will be more pointed, but you made a deal so you resign yourself to whatever that might mean for your future. 

He stays quiet a lot longer than you expect, you nearly drift back off to sleep before the smooth baritone of his voice filters back in the small space between you. 

“Where did you come from? he asks carefully. You can tell he’s trying to make it more conversational than a tactical assault of questions, but you also can’t help but snort at the idea that it’s anything else.

“I grew up in a small village outside the land hidden in the waterfalls,” you answer, “Though my father said we came from Uzushiogakure but that one day the village hidden in the leaves would be my home and I never questioned it...still don’t.” 

He mulls that over, seeming to take it in before speaking again. 

“Are you-I mean does Naruto know?” Konohamaru asks, this time not nearly as confident when he speaks. 

“Pretty sure he knows the leaf village is my home, yeah…” You try but he gives you a wry grin and you can’t just let it be no matter how much you might want to. “No, at least I don't think he does.” 

He seems to understand the weight of what you said and those big deep grey eyes stare back at you with  _ something _ that makes you feel a little queasy. 

“That’s two, the other one can wait...I need to rest,” you lie, well it’s hardly a lie but it’s the best escape plan you can come up with so you’ll take it. Thankfully he lets it go and doesn’t push further. 

It feels like a hollow victory. 

* * *

He wakes you up again a few hours later, the hottest part of the day has finally passed and you feel exhausted still but thankfully you’re not in quite as much pain. This time when you reluctantly start to stir, he’s there at your side in an instant but instead of pushing you back down he just supports your back as you try to sit up fully, or at least mostly upright.

“Here,” he says, pushing a bowl of soup with some actual meat in it and your stomach grumbles happily in return. You feel your face heat up just a bit at how  _ loud _ it was, but you ignore it in favor of actually tasting the soup. It’s not any better the second time but the fish has been properly treated and cooked so when you get a bite of it past your lips you actually moan in pleasure. 

“This is really good…the fish,” you specify, because the salt in the brine is even heavier with the added meat. 

“Thank you, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to catch anything, I didn’t want to leave you alone too long… but I managed to get us a few catfish before I had to come back,” he says, and you feel a vicious flare of heat rising up in your belly at the mention of you being incapacitated, a burden...something you swore to yourself that you’d never be. 

The fish doesn’t taste nearly as good for the consecutive bites but it will help rebuild your chakra so you eat it all the same, determined to pay back his efforts ten fold. 

Once you’ve finished, you remind him that he has another question to ask but he waves you off and says there’s time for that later as he cleans up the campsite. You feel the debt grow heavier on your shoulders. 

You’ve been putting it off as long as possible because you are the master of your own body but eventually it rebels and you know you’re not going to be able to ignore it any longer. Enough of your chakra has replenished so that you don’t feel woozy at the thought of moving but the injury on your leg is still very much a hindrance and the last thing you want is to ask for help. 

You wait until his back is turned and using the tree behind you, you brace yourself against it and slowly pull the rest of your body up until you’re standing. You’re a little light headed and you can feel the bloody scratches on your back because your jonin vest wasn’t there to protect you, but you’re upright so...progress.

You stumble forward, feeling your dinner threaten to come back up as the leaves rustle around your feet. 

_ Well shit. _

“Fu-what do you think you’re doing?” Konohamru says, rushing to your side so fast you can barely tell he wasn’t there the whole time. 

“I’m getting some privacy!” you say, it comes out as more of a squeak than you’d like. 

“I could have left if you’d just asked-” 

“I can’t-ugh,” you say in frustration. Eventually you give up what little care for modesty you once had and bite the bullet. “I can’t take a piss where we camp!” 

That turns the tables for a moment, Konohamaru blushes a bit and stutters away only to rush back when your balance starts to waiver. “Here just-just let me help you get there...then you can-do whatever you need to do,” he says, clearing his throat. 

“Yeah, sure…” you say, because really you don’t have any options at the moment. Fuck your fucking leg, anyway. 

He leaves you in a cluster of trees and you sigh in relief when your persistent bladder finally empties. As much as you hate to admit it, you do actually feel less grumpy once that’s dealt with. It’s not easy managing with your leg the way it is but you come out of it as clean as can be expected and only wistfully dreaming of hot springs. 

When you’ve finally made it far enough away from the drop zone to call him back over he’s quickly at your side and helping you back to the camp as if it was his solemn duty.

You both love and hate it. 

You growl at him because you don’t like feeling weak but he just pats your head, laughs, and gently lays you back down on your bedroll that seems much fuller than usual. 

It takes awhile for you to calm yourself back down but eventually you turn to him and say a soft, “Thank you, Konohamaru...I y’know, I appreciate everything you’ve had to do.” 

“It’s the least I could do, really…” he says, like he believes it, like he doesn’t see it as a burden. It’s pretty convincing but you know the truth and you won’t let yourself be swayed. 

“I’ll pay you back...somehow,” you reply quietly but either he doesn’t hear you or he pretends not to because he doesn’t respond. 

When it gets dark you can see him start to droop a little. He’s still alert, but you can tell he’s exhausted too, he probably hasn’t slept since the fight because it’s all you seemed to have done. 

“I can stay up, keep watch...wake you if anything happens,” you say, but he waves you off. 

“Look, I get the fact that I’m injured and not in top form but my vision hasn’t been affected and neither has my ability to speak or set barriers. I can keep an eye out on everything while you sleep for a little while,” you say, stubbornly humphing and crossing your arms over your chest. 

You almost miss the way his gaze drops down for a second but he quickly brings it back to your eyes so you’re not entirely sure it was what you think it was.

Ugh men, even when they’re sleep deprived and probably half brain dead, they still have the time and ability to check out your rack. 

“Alright, he says...but waits until you’ve put up a barrier seal before actually trying to sleep.

It doesn’t take him long to drift off.

Thankfully he doesn’t snore. He almost looks kind of peaceful, soft in his sleep. It’s...cute.

You hate that you think it but you can’t really stop yourself. He probably should have left you on your own and headed back to the leaf to give a report but he won’t, he’s stubborn too and too much of the Nanadaime’s philosophy has seeped in over the years, you guess. 

He absolutely refuses to leave you behind.

You had brought it up several times the first day in your short stages of lucidity. 

He was pretty offended the first few times. He got over that quickly and just moved straight onto exasperation. 

The firelight flickers down a bit as time passes, you keep your guard up though, even if you don’t think you’re in any danger of unexpected company. 

The road you’d been on in the first place was nothing but dust and withered plants. You’re doubtful anyone has used it in quite some time. The only reason you were there was because of  _ him.  _ Mori Michi, of Takigakure. The black beast tsunami, he’d been called. Even now, knowing he’s sealed away, you shiver at the memory of bloodlust held in his eyes. 

You scoot a little closer to the fire but it’s slowly dying and you don’t really have the energy or will to sustain it. Konohamaru isn’t going to freeze to death and neither are you so you watch it die out, slowly. 

He wakes up, a few different times. He’s restless, but you notice he doesn’t check to see if you’re still awake or if the wards are still intact, because he trusts you and that’s at least somewhat reassuring. 

When the sun starts to show over the horizon he wakes up again, this time he rolls out of his bedding and says a soft, sleep rough, “Morning.” 

It’s almost impossible not to find it adorable. 

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” you say with a grin.

He blinks back at you for a minute as he tries to get his bearings. “Nothing bigger than a bunny rabbit got close to the barrier last night so we’re safe. After breakfast I’d like to go to the river and wash up-,” You start but his head snaps over to you as if he’s imagining having to help you with that, but you rush to finish your thoughts. “I should be able to manage that on my own, my leg is much better today.” 

As if to prove your point you point toward the now roaring fire that is roasting a skinned rabbit and smile, “That one is yours,” you say, feeling quite happy with yourself when his eyes widen ever so slightly.

“Oh you didn’t have to-thanks,” he says, and it’s cute that he seems impressed by you. You like making him feel as rattled as you are when you’re around him. 

“It’s not a problem, you say. “There’s some robin eggs a few paces south if you want to gather them I’ll cook them for you, but tree climbing isn’t really something I can do at the moment.”

“Nah this is fine, this should be more than enough actually,” he says, some of the roughness of sleep finally waning from his voice. 

You kinda miss it, but you certainly don’t mention that aloud. 

He digs in and before he gets through the first full bite he turns to you and grins, “This is really good!” 

“It’s not too bad,” you agree, because you tasted your own rabbit and it was quite nice, especially when you didn’t have to choke down a bucket of Konohamaru’s salty sea brine with it. 

He finishes his breakfast with gusto and you feel a little butterfly of warmth skirting around in your belly. It’s...problematic at best but you push it away, you’re a kunoichi, a warrior, you don’t get stupid things like butterflies in your belly. Only chakra, memories of a home you’ve never seen, and the will of fire can exist there. 

* * *

  
  
  


The water feels cool against your skin as you dip into the lake. It’s refreshing and you let out a happy sigh when you get to a deeper part that will allow for your feet to graze the bottom while you float freely. You loosen the braid in your hair, letting it fall down before following with your head. The cool water around your ears is a bit of a rush as your skin adjusts to the temperature. 

Everything is gorgeous, the lake, the warm sun that pops out behind a cloud every now and again. It’s hard to want to leave but you do so, reluctantly. 

You swim back to the shore letting your feet touch down when you get closer, wincing when you feel weight on your injured leg again. 

“Fuck,” you say, forgetting how that felt for a wihle was nice. Now you weigh even more with the additional water and your leg is not enjoying it’s newfound responsibility either. You grit your teeth and move through the pain until you’re on land but before you can make it that far something in the water shifts, moves, and your foot is skidded backwards hard, fast, and into something that is sharp and metal. 

You cry out in pain and before you can muffle the sound, Konohamaru comes running toward you. 

You are still almost completely naked…

You sputter a bit but he lifts you up like he’s a romantic lead in a movie and you squawk indignantly. 

He doesn’t seem to notice, it’s as if his instincts are overriding the most obvious things. 

You’re never going to live this down, not in your own head at least. 

Once your bleeding foot is treated, he begins to fall out of his ‘serious’ mode and back into normal Konohamaru. Of course, that also means he’s realized you’re half naked and then blushes like a ripe tomato before turning his head...is that blood on the ground beside him? Oh well, it’s probably from your foot. Though you’re not quite sure how it would have made it that far but you don’t question it further, mostly because you’re just struggling to grab clothes from your pack so you can redress.

It takes little thought to pull out the long yellow summer dress that was folded neatly at the bottom. It will allow for more movement than your uniform and it will make things much easier when it comes time to rewrap your wounds. Not to mention it’s so much faster to put on than your gi. 

“I’m um, I have clothes on…” you say, clearing your throat as you turn your head away. You don’t want to see him turn back around, it was embarrassing for you both. Not only did he see you at your most indecent, but it wasn’t even a good angle. You are proud of your muscle and you don’t mind the spare pounds for the most part, but what girl in their right mind wouldn’t be a little self conscious in your situation. 

“I uh, I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have screamed and worried you,” you say, not really knowing how to get past the moment without addressing it. Even if it's uncomfortable you need to get it out of your system so you can get back to as close to normal as humanly possible.

“Oh no it’s okay...you were hurt. I uh, I’m sorry I uh touched you while you were…” he stops, and it seems like he’s remembering your naked body in his arms and you kind of want to scream at him but you just blush because now you’re thinking about his strong arms wrapped around you while you were naked, or mostly that way. 

“It’s fine, it’s no different than a swimsuit really,” you say, and it’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told because while he was just being logical and carrying you back to camp so that he could tend to your wound, your thoughts during that moment were far from professionally distant. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he says, chucking a bit as he rubs the back of his neck.

You’ve finally gathered the courage to look over at him and his cheeks are still a little red but he mostly looks unaffected.

For some reason you find yourself disappointed. You thought when his eyes drifted before...well it doesn’t matter what you thought. He’s clearly not feeling anything but camaraderie when it comes to you. 

Sigh. 

Oh well, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time and you doubt it will be the last.

‘Time to move on,’ you say to yourself, you’re a firm believer in not letting things linger. Cut out the parts of you that want him for more than a friend and you’ll be fine. 

“Huh?” he asks.

“I said it’s time to move on, we need to get closer to Konoha and once my hair dries a bit, I’ll put it back up and we can be on our way. At my current pace it will still take us a few days to get back but staying here isn’t going to make my injuries heal any faster,” you respond, “And you refuse to leave without me so..”

He sighs, as if he’s told you this a million times. “You’re right, I won’t...we started this mission together and we’re going to return home together.”

“Whatever you say,” you answer, and then slowly start brushing your hair to allow the wind to blow through it more easily. You really need to get back to the leaf village; being out here, with him... it makes forgetting him much more difficult. 


	2. Chapter 2

Your cut heals over the next day or so, your leg still isn’t in any kind of running condition but you can walk on it without crying so you push forward. The quicker you get back to Konoha the better. 

He doesn’t know he’s doing it but fuck, Konohamaru is a goddamn tease and for once you wish you had Kunochi friends to vent with about him. He’s doted on you for the better part of a week now and as if that wasn’t enough to get your heart to do funny things, he seems to have also adopted the civilian clothing thing and it’s...well it’s not  _ unflattering _ . 

He wears a number of pale shirts so of course the universe decides to smack you in the face with rainstorms that mean his clothes are clinging to him like a second skin. His muscles flex through the material and your eyes track it no matter how many times you force yourself to look away.    
  


It’s a wonder he hasn’t already looked at you with those big sad eyes and told you it’s never going to happen. He’s probably waiting until you get back to Konoha so that it’s not even more awkward than it has been for the rest of the trip. 

Ugh, you’re worked up and frustrated and you can’t even let it out by sparring because of your stupid leg.

You finally start to give out, your leg was done a mile back but you pushed ahead anyway. Now you’re paying for it so you tug on his sleeve and he nods in understanding.

It’s easy for you to set the barriers now, your chakra is nearly full capacity given that you haven’t used it for much except dealing with your injury. So you quickly send up the sealing jutsu that you crafted into a specialty all your own, and you will rest easily knowing you’re safe.

After the fire is built and the bedrolls are in place you feel a little tingle in the back of your neck and you smile sadly. “How do you feel about venison for dinner?” 

He looks at you and grins, wide and open, “That would be amazing, I haven’t had- 

*CRACK* 

You drop your hand that had been making a twisting motion just a moment earlier and close your eyes, “Thank you for your sacrifice, rest in peace.” 

“Did you just-” 

“It’s a quarter mile that way, if you want to lug it back I can prepare it but with my leg as bad as it is now, I can’t go after it,” you say, pointing in the direction where the young buck gave its life. 

He nods happily and takes off through the trees. 

You turn your head and let the tears you’ve been holding in finally fall.

You don’t like killing, not animals or ninja, but you’ll do it when the job calls for it. 

These tears though, are a little bit of everything. Sadness over the last moment of holding that buck’s neck in your hands, petting it softly with your chakra before twisting its neck. Then there’s the emotions you’ve been holding in for the past few days that also escape out with the rest.

You’re able to track every movement within the barrier so you make sure there’s no evidence of your tears by the time he makes it back to camp. Instead you put on a bright smile and welcome him back with gusto. It probably sounds a little fake but for all that he is, and he  _ is _ quite a many wonderful things, Konohamaru can still be pretty oblivious on the day to day. So you hope he doesn’t see it and comfort yourself with the reassuring truth that a lot of more obvious things have slipped his notice. 

He’s more than happy to do the grunt work on preparing dinner so you nod in agreement and mention lying down for a nap.

He stands guard as he works even if he doesn’t really need to.

You can’t sleep despite the monumental effort you’re putting in. Your mind keeps wandering back to the way he picked you up so effortlessly. You shiver at the memory of his biceps curled protectively around your thighs and back. You bite back a moan when your brain draws up the way his jaw clenched as your arms wrapped around his neck. 

It’s enough to drive you to distraction and beyond. You want nothing more than to get some alone time but if you ask for it while in camp it would be suspicious. Potentially you could send him after water when he finishes with the deer but then you’ll have to cook the meat and watch the fire so there’s little opportunity for you to take care of yourself in those following moments either. 

You doubt he’ll let you use the bath in the lake excuse again, not with how it ended last time, which is fair but still frustrating. 

Maybe if you’re really quiet… 

No, no… you can’t. He’s a ninja with excellent hearing and no matter how quiet you attempt to be, it is practically impossible for you to stay completely silent.

You groan in annoyance. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, softly whispering your name as he moves closer to your bedroll.

“Fine. I’m just having a little trouble sleeping,” you say, hoping he will back away and leave you alone. With as worked up as you’ve managed to get yourself, one look from those big bright eyes and you’ll be lost.

“Oh, I see. Well if there’s anything I can do just let me know,” he says, and you could choke on the sincerity. 

Instead you let out a strangled laugh and rub at your tired eyes. “I’ll be sure to let you know if any ideas come to mind,” you lie, because you know exactly how he can help you sleep but you refuse to ask it. Not that it would matter much anyway, if he did it you’d only be able to add it to the neverending list of ways you’ve been a burden to him on this godforsaken mission. 

Three years, countless successful assignments, nearly every moment you were a consummate professional and yet less than a week by his side and you’ve proven to be nothing but another useless kunoichi. 

You don’t buy into that whole women are useless in the field ideology but there are always a couple that prove the stereotype true, it’s never you, has never been you before. 

You absolutely hate that it’s you when you’re with  _ him _ . 

It’s not like you imagined things turning out in some daydream fantasy, that would be stupid and a waste of valuable time. However, the moment you saw his potential, the fire in his eyes, the raw  _ something _ that he held above all others, you wanted. You ached with it in ways you’d never experienced but since that moment you’ve done nothing but cause him trouble and how would a man like that ever look at you twice if he had to spend the days you have together playing nursemaid. 

“You seem to be miles away...homesick?” he asks, coming closer still.

He’s snuck up on you while you were reliving your self loathing spiel. 

How rude of him. 

“Sort of,” you say, because you certainly can’t tell the whole truth. Though it’s not exactly a lie, you miss the you from before you knew  _ him. _

“Ah, I know what this is. You have someone special waiting for you back home that you miss, right?” he asks, smiling brightly. 

He’s completely unaffected by the idea of someone waiting for you. 

It shouldn’t hurt, but it does.

It hurts  _ bad _ , the pain in your chest feels like a boulder sitting on top of you. 

“Yeah, that’s it..” You lie, and turn over to keep the tears from falling where he can see them. “Don’t forget to keep the organs. We’ll leave them to feed some of the local animals before we move on.” 

You swallow hard, grateful that you kept your voice steady and even despite your emotions.

Thankfully he takes the hint and leaves you to your depression burrito. 

At least you don’t have to worry about the sexual frustration anymore. 

* * *

When you wake up to cook the meat, Konohamaru is quiet. You’re almost concerned that something happened but when you ask he just waves you off and says he’s just looking forward to the meal. You offer him a granola bar and a couple food pills, to your surprise he actually takes them and then thanks you politely. 

He goes for a swim/bath and gathers some fresh water from the lake. It’s quiet without him but when he gets back that doesn’t change and you start to feel a little on edge. 

He must realize he’s acting weird when you pass him a bowl because he smiles and tries to keep conversation but you can see that it doesn’t reach his eyes and it makes something slimy slither around in your stomach. 

What could have possibly happened while you slept? 

“I know you say everything is okay and I believe you, I do but if you wanted someone to talk to...well I’m your very own one woman captive audience,” you grin, teasing him a little as you try to poke at his cracking facade. 

He leans back on his hands, arms flexing as he stares off into the distance, oblivious to your eyes tracking the clenching of his biceps. 

‘Fuck, no...focus bitch,’ you tell yourself in your mind. 

“Oh I forgot to mention that you don’t owe me another question,” he says, as if it just randomly occurred to him and also as if you hadn’t just spoken to him before. Did he miss the interaction entirely? 

“Okay, how did I manage that...you didn’t ask me anything in my sleep did you,” you say, eyeing him skeptically. 

“No no, I uh, it’s just you answered the other question I had, that’s all..” 

You frown in confusion and your feel your mouth pull to a slight pout. “And when exactly did I answer your big number three?”

He’s turned away from you, reaching for his bowl that he’d sat down to warm his hands by the fire, “I was just going to ask if you were single, but of course you’re not. That wouldn’t make sense at all..I guess I should have thought of something better huh?” he says, scratching his head as he turns back, the slightest pink tinge on his cheeks. 

You blink at him.

He’s not-surely he’s not saying what you think he’s saying…

You must have misheard. 

But what if…?

You clear your throat, nerves fluttering wildly in your belly. “Why would you care about that?” 

“Oh no reason,” he says, stuffing his mouth full of venison as he looks at anything that isn’t you. 

“I’m not, you know...I um, I kinda lied earlier,” you admit, because you just can’t let yourself take the chance that he was actually interested and you let him believe a lie to get away from it. “I just didn’t want to explain where my mind was at, y’know? It was kinda personal and I reacted. I’m sorry...you deserve the truth.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I get it,” he says, and this time he looks at you wide eyed and the smile on his lips grows wider until it actually reaches his eyes and you can’t help the way your heart goes rabbit fast against your ribs. 

“What about you… do you uh, have anyone waiting back in Konoha?” you ask, because you’re a glutton for punishment. If you’ve read this entire situation wrong you’re going to be mortified and the chances are still slim that he actually wants you, for more than some fun anyway. 

“Not really, there’s not very many kunoichi who are my type,” he says softly, like it’s kind of a secret. 

You laugh. “Oh? And what’s your type exactly?” 

You assume whatever he’s going to say next will be laughable. You’ve heard that phrase a million times over but they all still end up wanting something you’re not. Blonde, brunette, skinny, short, smart; hell even strong, which you actually managed to convince yourself you were, at least until he showed up. 

“Comfortable,” he says, and you’re thrown. 

Surprised would be an understatement in the moment.

“Comfortable?” you ask, cause clearly you’re confused. What kind of girl would be ‘comfortable’ to him? 

“I don’t really know how to describe it, I guess it’s just something I know when I see it,” he answers, and nods his head as if he’s affirming it to himself. 

“Oh that clears it up,” you say sarcastically. Are you his type or not? You’d like to think you’re ‘comfortable’ but mostly only because he hasn’t heard your internal monologue. “Like...comfort _ ing? _ ” you ask, because that’s so not your thing, not really. 

“I mean, that’s nice too I guess, but it wasn’t what I meant...I could- I could show you,” he says, rushing through the rest of his dinner as if it's his last meal. 

“Umm...sure I guess,” you say, ‘I have a pencil and some pages..” 

“No- I,” he starts, swallows and tries again. “Just...can I come a little closer?” 

He looks nervous and that should probably put you on edge but you trust him implicitly. After everything he’s done for you over the last few days, it's the least you could give him in return. “Sure.”

He smiles directly at you over the flickering campfire and you feel your heart thump thump irregularly. You chuckle to hide the awkwardness when he moves closer. 

He sits down beside you where you’re leaned against the tree for support and he’s  _ so close _ , his face is right there and your hands itch to do something, anything. 

You stop yourself before they can actually reach up, thankfully. 

But then the next thing you know his head is cradled in your lap and he’s smiling up at you. 

“Like this...comfortable.” 

You narrow your gaze but there’s no heat in it, “Someone who’s fat?” you ask, and immediately regret it. 

His face scrunches up, “I don’t like that word and you’re not, for the record; not even by civilian standards,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re strong and healthy.” 

It’s impossible to hold back the snort and you grin down at him. “You sure you didn’t hit your head back there somewhere?” you ask, because he’s obviously being ridiculous and if it were anyone else you’d be worried about hidden agendas, but Konohamaru is like the most sincere, most kind person you’ve ever met. No way would he betray the bond you’ve started. 

“You got injured, that happens to all of us. It doesn’t make you weak- Actually if it weren’t for you I might not be here,” he says softly. “That ninja...he was a lot stronger than I am. If you hadn’t sealed him I don’t know that we could have won that fight.” 

You find it hard to swallow, but you force down the lump in your throat. You breathe out a shaky exhale before you slowly start to card your fingers through his hair. “Thank you, I-I know I haven’t been of much use since the fight but I am grateful that you recognize my strength anyway.” 

He shakes his head but when you pull your hand away he takes it gently in his own and puts it back on the soft, still damp strands of his hair. “That wasn’t meant to be discouraging...this is nice,” he says, back in that softer tone before he goes to a normal speaking voice. “You’ve done twice or three times what most shinobi would in your place.”

You don’t know how to take his compliments. They make you feel warm and flush all over but you don’t want to let on so you go back to your comfort zone. “Yeah, well that’s not exactly a compliment. Most men are useless when they’re injured,” you say, a small laugh escaping your lips after the words tumble out. 

He laughs along, “We really are..” he says, and you’re both pleased and surprised he agrees with you so quickly. 

You lay there in lazy, quiet comfort for a while before you finally speak up again. 

“So when you say comfortable…” you start, biting your lip a bit as the nerves flutter wildly under your skin. “You mean someone like me?” 

Konohamaru just nods, you can feel his head move in your lap, feel the direction of it under your fingertips but you need more. 

“I need more,” you say, unable to hold it in any longer. “If this is-If I’m someone you want, I need more than a type. I want you to think about it, Konohamaru because I don’t want to scare you or add pressure but if that’s what you want, you should also know that I need more than tonight.” 

He sits up and you start to pull away but he grabs gently at your wrist to keep you from getting too far. “Hey,” he says, pulling you back making sure to lift you gently off the ground so there’s no added pressure to your leg. He whispers your name softly as his thumb brushes against your lower lip. “I’m willing to work for it, to prove myself to you.” 

“And what if I think you are unworthy,” you say, your lip trembling under the tip of his finger. You’re also particularly convinced you’re dreaming and scared he’s going to disappear right in front of you. 

“Oh I have no doubt you will, but I’m hoping that won’t stop you from accepting me.” 

_ Definitely dreaming….was the venison drugged? _

“Okay, well...I uh, I should get to bed. You take the first watch, okay?” you ask, but don’t give him time to answer before making a mad dash, or as close to one you can get on one leg toward your bedroll and quickly fake being asleep. 

“We’ll reach Konoha tomorrow, I intend to take you out after you’ve recuperated. I would really appreciate it if you’d clear some time out of your schedule for that,” he says, with all the confidence and cockiness you’ve come to love.

You let out a fake snore but it’s not convincing if the way he laughs at you is anything to go by. 

Your cheeks burn inside your bedroll that’s pulled over your head as you quietly smile a soft, excited grin. 

You really hope this isn’t a dream, but if it is...you don’t want to wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

A rescue team finds the two of you just a couple miles outside of Kohona. Even they acknowledge how little help they turned out to be after you’d made it back all that way on your own but there is a med ninja who sees to your leg immediately and gives you some long awaited relief.

Once you’re able to start trekking back to the village properly again, Konohamaru gently tugs at your sleeve until you step back a little and make space between the two of you and the others.

Immediately you imagine him changing his mind, retracting everything he said about taking you out for a night on the town once you made it back to the village you both call home but instead he just calmly, quietly promises that any information seen or given between the two of you belonged solely to you unless expressly asked for by the Hokage himself. 

It’s a reassurance, an insurance policy maybe? Something...you’re not sure but you don’t want to test it. Why would Naruto ask expressly about the sealing chains? He wouldn’t...so if Kono wasn’t going to tell him, it meant...you could stay in hiding just a little longer maybe. 

It both confuses you and warms your heart at the same time. 

Feeling a little bold you wind your pinky around his and squeeze gently in thanks before rushing ahead to meet up with the other nin. 

You breathe in a deep sigh of satisfaction when you feel the familiarity of Konoha air in your lungs. You’d have never thought it would smell so good, but it does. It feels and smells like home, like a word you’d been promised but now you actually feel it. There’s something that lingers around you when you step inside the village, something like safety, like rest, like not having to watch your own back every single second of every single day. 

“We need to give a report,” you say to Konohamaru, mostly so the other nin will nod and flash away. 

“I can take care of that,” he hedges, but you shake your head.

“No, we’ll go over all the details and let the chips fall where they may,” you promise. “Unless you think there’s something I need to worry about…” 

“No-nope, nothing here…” 

“Alright then, let’s go talk to the Nanadaime. It’s about time I met my cousin….officially.” 

Konohamaru leads the way and you follow silently behind. You try very hard not to give away your nerves but after so long of being in close quarters together, it would be impossible for him not to notice.

You both pause outside the long rounded hallway that you know leads to the Hokage’s office, Konohamaru tugging at your sleeve once again. You turn to him with a questionable look, why is he slowing down? Showing hesitation it isn’t like him. 

“What’s going on, Konohamaru? Did you not want me to come with you?” you ask, as you start to feel a little hurt, sad maybe. You’re not really sure. None of it makes sense. 

There’s a high blush on his cheeks and he rubs nervously at the back of his neck. 

“I just-I don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” he says, and immediately that stone heavy ball of ‘other shoe waiting to drop’ sinks into your gut with a hard slam. 

“And what would the ‘wrong’ idea be exactly?” You ask, because you need to know, even if it hurts. 

He says something that comes out in a blur and before you can stop yourself, your hand is reaching out to nab the scruff of his neck before you slam him back against the wall. “I don’t have time for this Kono, just say whatever it is,” you growl. 

“Naruto might have set this mission up as an um...a-mattch-makking-thing-” 

You blink at him. 

_That_ was not what you’d been expecting. 

“You convinced the... _hokage_ , to put you on a mission with me b-because you thought I was hot-well comfortable…” you say, remembering his preferred word. 

You blink up at him. 

The two of you had nearly died because he wanted some alone time with you? 

He must be trying and failing to chase your mental gymnastics with the way his eyes keep pinging all over the place but in the end all you can do is laugh because breaking down in the hokage building, no matter how fitting, seems well... _inappropriate_. 

You drag him down the hall quite successfully considering he’s grown fairly tall and you, well you stopped growing taller pretty early on but you get him outside the room where you need to be and you force him through the door with a quiet, “This isn’t over.” 

“Lord Seventh, we’ve come to give report regarding the mission to chart and explore the empty space just beyond the land of fire as for possible expansion,” you say, because that’s exactly what the two of you were supposed to be doing and now, fuck...now it’s- of course you should have seen something coming. Nobody has been expanding since the war really, though you had guessed Konoha and the land of Fire would be first given how much the Allied Nations thought of Naruto. 

“Oh and...should we...expand over that way?” Naruto says, with cheek that is very unbecoming of a Hokage. 

Something like grit settles in your chest as you continue on, Konohamaru deathly silent as if he knows he’s going to say the wrong thing. 

“Well now that the Black Beast Tsunami has been sealed away, I imagine it’s quite safe,” You say, hearing both Naruto and his advisor gasp in surprise. 

“The Black Beast Tsunami? I thought he was a joke!!!” Nartuo said, eyes wide before he looked to Konohamaru as if you weren’t the one just speaking about it. 

“Sealed-?”

“Yes, sealed...with my Adamantine Sealing Chains,” you say, making both men take notice of you once again. 

“Hey I think that’s that’s the same thing mom used on Kuruma, right Shika?” he says, turning to his advisor. 

Shikamaru Nara, the advisor to the Hokage that you’ve only heard about in passing. Rumored to be the smartest nin in Konoha, maybe all the allied nations combined. He turns to Naruto and squeezes the bridge of his nose before he says, “Yeah, something like that...I think she’s trying to tell you something, Naruto.” 

You don’t get another word in edgewise before Naruto is talking to someone- _something_ else in the room that you genuinely hope no one else can see, and then he’s embracing you in a hug. 

“Uh…” 

“Yeah, he has that effect on people...it’s a drag but you get used to it,” Shikamaru said, taking a long hit off a cigarette that hangs unlit from his lips. 

“Family! I have family!!” 

“Woah there, nobody said anything about-” You start, but Nartuo just squeezes around you further and honestly you don’t really know how to handle it so you stand there dumbly for a while longer. 

“Did I tell you that you have the best taste or what, Konohamaru?! Eh? Cousin to the Hokage, to your big brother Naruto,” he says, somehow hands everywhere to hold you in place while also rubbing the top of a blushing Konohamaru’s head.

“Lord Seventh! If you would please get yourself under control!” You say, making everyone in the room stop, freeze. 

When it doesn’t seem like they’re ready to speak again, you continue. “I appreciate your….readily acceptance of the truth but that doesn’t change anything. You are Hokage and I am just another citizen of the Konoha and I’d very much like to keep it that way.” 

You watch Naruto sink down just a little and you lie to yourself and say it doesn’t make you feel guilty but it does. In your defense though, it’s been a long trip and you really just want to get home and think over everything that’s happened.

“Sure, sure...but all of the Konoha is my family and that isn’t going to change now.” 

You nod because you don’t want to argue any further. Honestly the last scrap of fight you had left in you escaped halfway through that small little sad sigh that Naruto gave. “Then I will take my leave,” you say, bowing your final respect before slowly standing on shaky legs and moving out of the room, closing the door behind you. 

* * *

  
  


You get three days, which honestly is about two and a half more than expected. Konohamaru is a bit headstrong that way. It comes to your attention that he’s been busy with a couple other things too, so that’s bought you a little reprieve to do some thinking, and healing. Mostly thinking, though. That med nin was pretty quick on the leg stuff and everything else had all but faded. 

You’ve just gathered your laundry off the line outside your modest, but decent apartment when you hear the clink of a small stone on your window. 

“You break it, you buy it,” you say, but he nervously chuckles and cautiously climbs up the overlapping beams to put himself down right smack dab in front of you.

“I was thinking, we’d spend some time together this evening, if you’d be up for that sort of thing…” 

Bless his clueless little heart.

“Well it certainly seems a lot safer than tackling a mission that will take us a stone’s throw away from one of the most deadly assassins ever mentioned…” you snark, because you honestly can’t help yourself and it’s kinda cute to see him all flustered. 

“Haha, that’s cute. No more fake missions, I swear,” he says, crossing his heart in an adorable, somewhat lame gesture only someone who was still at least a little part child could take so seriously. 

“Oh, no more fake missions...then what exactly will this outing entail?” You ask, just to give him a little bit of a hard time. 

“I was actually thinking of taking you on a picnic, if that would be okay. There’s a place overlooking the city and it can be kinda nice after dark,” he says. 

You hmm a bit. “And I’m just supposed to agree to go out after dark with some _random-_

“Hey! I’m not random!”

_“Random_ ninja because he shows up at my door looking all handsome and flustered?” Just what type of girl do you take me for, Konohamaru?” 

“One who can take care of herself?” he says, only a hint of growling frustration but it’s enough to make you laugh all the same. 

“Fair enough,” You say, “We’re in agreement then, If you try anything I’ll kick your ass.” 

“Of course,” he says, as if you’d been the last person to think of it that way and it fills you up to know that he really does admire your strength as much as he’s said he did.

“Okay then, I’ll be ready at seven thirty sharp, and don’t forget you have to feed me. None of that salty broth either Kono, real food!” You say, making your way back inside your apartment where you shut the blinds behind you so he can’t watch the little happy dance your feet give without much advisory from your brain. 

“It’s a date…” you say to yourself, and then grin wide and open where no one can see you. 

Somehow you force yourself through the rest of the day. You have taken a much needed break from missions, not that there’s usually too many to go around these days anyway but now all your energy is focused on you and that’s rarely ever a good thing. 

You deep clean the apartment all the while telling yourself and an imaginary Konohamaru that it doesn’t mean _anything_ , it’s just something that’s needed done for a while and now you have the time. That’s all. 

You’re grown, you are allowed to do things grown people do; even your father had come to respect that rule before he passed but still just thinking of letting out all your carnal frustrations on Konohamaru makes you wanna flee back to your cocoon of blankets on the bed and not finish getting ready.

You really don’t wanna scare him off, not that you think you could per say...oh who are you kidding, of course you could. You scare them all away… but Kono is different, he really is…

Right?

Yes, he’s different.

Still, maybe it's better to take things slow sometimes, right? Give them a taste and then have something worth waiting for too maybe? 

You groan in frustration, being inside your own head about this is not helping. 

Unfortunately as you’ve thought many times before, it’s not like you’ve got a whole click of Kunoichi at your beck and call to talk these things out with so you just have to make do with you. 

That’s not appealing in the least. 

There’s still about forty minutes til the ‘date’ is supposed to happen when your doorbell rings. 

You squawk in an undignified manner as you rush to put on some sort of robe after having just stepped out of the shower. 

What is with this guy, does he have some sort of sixth sense for when you’re mostly wet and naked? 

When you peek outside though, your body sags in relief. It’s just a woman, a small dark haired woman with Hyuga eyes...fuck-is did Nartuo send his girlfriend over to ‘help?’ 

“Uh….hi?” You say, because you don’t actually know her name, or your own for a few beats there. 

“Hello, sorry to um, to interrupt but I thought maybe you would like some...help?” 

“You mean Naruto thought I’d like some help,” You say, skeptical that it was all her plan that the two of you ended up here. 

“No, well I mean he mentioned that Konohamaru was um… he said you might like a friend and I may not be-be much but I can be a friend,” she says, and okay, that was cute.

“So because Konohamaru is a mess he was worried about me also being a mess…” You say, but you’re grinning now because Kono being all worked up about a date with you seems positive and you’re not quite as nervous somehow anymore. 

“No you’re not a mess...clearly,” she says, though when her eyes look around the room you feel maybe she can see just far enough into the past to know how much of a lie she just told. 

“Oh sorry, where are my manners?” You say, goofily waving off your state of dress by making somewhat of a proper introduction. 

“You can call me Hinata…” she says, and you feel a vague sense of memory over the name but nothing beyond what you’ve already hammered out. 

“Sorry I just...I’m not usually very good with these things, y’know...with other Kunoichi and like women in general honestly.” You say, “I’ve always been a bit more….rough and tumble I guess.” 

“Oh I don’t think you’d find that would get in the way with some of our female nin but I can understand it’s a bit hard to put yourself out there,” Hinata says, somehow sweeping you into a polite sitting posture without really having done much. 

“I wasn’t very good at it either, at talking to people at all really but I’ve learned a few things from my friends and I’d be more than happy to pass it on, if you’d like of course,” she says, taking a comb out of somewhere as she starts just brushing your hair with it. You glance over at her in these cute little black shorts and some kind of sweater shirt and you’re wondering where the pockets are, but you don’t ask. 

“Uh sure, okay...not like I have much else to be doing right now,” You say nervously, letting her work her comb magic through your usually tangled up mess of hair. 

“I haven’t known Konohamaru all that well for very long but I have watched over Naruto for more years than either of us would like to admit,” she says, chuckling a little which makes you chuckle too. “I see a lot of the same qualities in them; determination, playfulness, and of course that neverending hope.” 

You nod in agreement because as much as you’d love to argue there’s not many differences when it comes to the two you’re talking about, not where it matters anyway. 

“The stories they share in childhood are not kind, not on either boy. Naruto was ignored to the point of abuse and Konohamaru was pampered beyond that same point. Each found their path willingly and guided one another where they needed to go. I truly believe that with everything I have,” Hinata says, doing something that makes one side of your hair a little shorter, tucking it under something, around something? You’re not sure you just want to hear more.

“Naruto gave Konohamaru someone to look up to and Konohamaru gave Naruto someone to empower, to protect, to champion for even before all the stuff with Sasuke-there was his ‘little brother’ and I think that was just as important,” she says, pulling a mirror out of nowhere and offering it to you. 

“Oh wow...that’s...that actually looks really good how did you do that?” You ask, “Is it forbidden jutsu?” I won’t tell anyone...just show me how.” 

Hinata just shakes her head, giggling at you a little and promises to show you another time before she follows you into your closet like it was your choice and helps you pick out your best outfit. 

“You Kunochi really are something else,” you say, but Hinata just reminds you that you’re one of them too. 

“Not with this stuff though…” You say, finding it a bit hard to realize that you’ve spent almost an hour with another kunoichi and you haven’t wanted to run away. “I’m not good at this stuff.” 

“It’s not a necessity for fighting usually but Ino, Sakura, they’ve taught me it can be a pretty useful skill to have in your bag. I could teach you, they would be happy to teach you some things too if you’d be interested. They are busy kunoichi of course, but they are also women and we like to get together sometimes and just talk and teach one another things,” Hinata says, and then grins wide as she edges her way to the door. “You’re always welcome to join us and not just because of who you’re dating.” 

“Sure,” you find yourself agreeing, and then Hinata is gone and you glance down at your watch and shit, it’s like five minutes til time for Konohamaru to show up. 

You rush to the bathroom only to find everything is as ready as it’s going to be for you to leave. Your hair is done, you’re wearing your best outfit, you actually look somewhat put together and the mess you’d made of your closet has been straightened up quite nicely. 

“Black magic,” you whisper when you think of Hinata’s help but you still can’t help but smile. 

It’s a really nice feeling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first time writing Naruto stuff and I apologize for any characterization mishaps here but there's going to be a short epilogue date after this and then I'm calling it done! <3 Hope you didn't hate it too much~


	4. Date Epilogue

You answer the door, one arm carefully tucked behind you. 

Konohamaru looks fucking adorable in a pair of chinos and some sort of half dressed up half dressed down style you weren’t really expecting. 

You’re starting to think maybe you weren’t the only one who had kunoichi intrude through your afternoon. 

“You look beautiful-” 

“My don’t you look handsome-” 

You both chuckle a bit at one another. 

“Thank you,” you say, trying to keep the steady blush out of your cheeks. 

“You too,” he says, artfully rearranging the picnic basket he’s holding so that the arm closest to you is free to offer. 

“Just let me lock up,” you say, hiding your cheeks when you turn away to do just that.

You immediately take his arm when you turn back around, fighting off the hints of embarrassment you feel. It might not have been the best idea, the matchmaking aspects of the mission at least, but being cooped up with one another did make friendly touching come a bit easier you think. 

“So what made you think of a picnic?” you ask, not wanting to lag in conversation output. 

“Well I did want to try to impress you and somehow I don’t think sparring would have gone that well for me,” he answers, with a chuckle. “Not without breaking a real sweat at least.” 

“Oh I don’t know, I kinda like you all sweaty and spent,” you say and then wince and laugh at how it comes out. “Sorry that was probably a little too far eh?” 

“Don’t worry about those things,’ he says, waving his hand around a bit. “I’m sure you’ve noticed this about me but I’m not great at knowing the right times to say and more importantly,  _ not say _ certain things. I’d rather you just be you without trying to filter everything in or out and I’ll try my best to just be me.”

“Alright then, I think I can live with that,” you say, chuckling a bit as he guides you up toward the hill that leads to the top of Hokage Mountain. 

You keep up light conversation, nothing too much too heavy and you only tease him slightly about the misguided mission attempt. He takes it all in good fun as it’s intended and eventually puts a blanket down beside you before making a half-hearted attempt to ‘help’ you down. 

It’s precious and adorable, and completely unnecessary but you let him anyway.

He opens the basket and your belly rumbles happily at the smell of barbeque. 

“Wow, you’ve really outdone yourself,” you say, eyeing the selection of meats and veggies that you can see. He brought enough for three, maybe even four people unless one of those happen to be an Akimichi, and you can’t help but chuckle at how proud he is of himself. 

“I uh, I went around asking about your favorites and this was by far your most chosen meal that you eat out in town at least,” he says, like it’s not the most adorable thing that he’s done...recon for your date.

You nod because it is your favorite in town. “I like the way they season the meat. It reminds me a bit more of food from, well Takigakure, than most places here at home.” 

“I see you do that a lot, backtrack. You know, I want you to feel welcome here in Konoha but it’s okay if you feel like you have homes in other places too,” he says, and it’s so sweet and honest and such a Kono thing to say. 

“I used to correct it a lot because people assumed I mean Konoha when I said home, and for the most part I didn’t in the past,” you say, chewing at your lip a little. “But this time, I-I wanted to emphasize what I actually meant when I said home, was here in the village.” 

He hands you over a full box of barbeque and watches as you happily shovel some into your mouth. It’s a little embarrassing but nothing he hasn’t seen before so you try not to let it get to you. 

Eventually he starts to eat too and you watch him stuff himself silly and sigh in relief of that warmth when both of your bellies are full. 

“Kono...can I ask you something?” you say, rubbing your fingers through his hair a bit as he’s stretched out beside you. 

“Sure, anything.” 

“Why did you really want to spend time with me, I mean...sure I can see there aren’t tons of women around who look like me, if that’s your thing, which I’m still not really convinced it is…” you start, “I just I can’t imagine what gets you from...she’s kinda cute to let's spend a week off charting nature so I can get closer to her? Y’know?”

“Okay,” he says, “I can see how you might look at it that way but have you ever tried to talk to you? Cause I’m not trying to be mean here...but you’re intimidating as hell,” he says and well...that’s probably fair. 

“I tried, you know, a couple different times. To say hello, ask after you, but you are a very ‘all business’ type of person until you see a reason to let someone in, or at least that’s been my experience.” 

“Okay I can agree with that, I’m not very sociable….but then why the interest at all? You’re the opposite of that, everyone loves you and from what I’ve seen you make friends easily enough, so why-”

“Because you’re worth it!” he says, this time an eerie sincerity settling over his features as he continues. “Because you were worth getting to know, you were worth the barriers and the boundaries and the effort. I knew you would be, and I was right!” 

That shuts you up, just a little. It shuts up that nagging in your brain asking you why this perfect little cinnamon roll has gone through so much just to get a chance to be with you. It lets you take a breath and just savor and enjoy the feeling that he thought you were worth it, still thinks that by the way, and you are helpless to just fall into him like a puppet whose strings have been cut. 

He wraps his big strong arms around you and for once in your life you just let someone hold you, just let him be there and strong and dependable.

“Thank you,” you say, “for making the effort.” 

“You have always been, will always be worth it…” 

“Wow that’s deep,” you say, teasing while also wiping at the corner of your eye. 

“Well I wasn’t sure when a good time to tell you was but, I might have fallen a little bit in love with you like a long time ago so...y’know, whenever you wanna catch up that could be nice.” 

“You-you-” you sputter, how dare he catch you off guard like this, but your fumbling just makes him laugh louder and harder than before. 

You ignore your embarrassment and roughly push at his shoulders until he’s forcefully down on the ground, blanket beneath him, stars shining in his eyes and that’s when it hits you that maybe you’re not so far behind after all. Your breath rushes out as you take in his smile, his brightness, and everything goes a bit sideways in a good way, in an exciting way. 

“Kono-” you start, but you can’t quite finish.

“Kiss me, if you want,” he says, and suddenly you’ve never wanted anything more. 

It’s a bit of a difficult angle but you manage, just a soft peck of lips at first but when you start to pull away you feel his encouraging hand on the back of your neck and you gasp a little in surprise. 

You lay there for a bit longer, his arms wrapped around you, kissing you for all you’re worth until you finally pull away. 

“You know, I’m not usually this easy,” you say, straightening yourself up a bit as you clear your throat. 

“Maybe, but I think I’ll take that as a compliment to my expressive love confession rather than you exhibiting some sort of loose moral code suddenly,” he grins and you want to hit him in his cute smug face but you’re still ringing a bit from the kisses. 

“Yeah yeah, Romeo… just keep your hands to yourself for the rest of the night,” you say, and then immediately ignore how much it bothers you now that you’ve said it. 

“I will do my best,” he says earnestly but there’s a devilish look in his eye and you kinda hope it means what you think it means. 

It means exactly what you think it does and he manages to get you both in a little more trouble throughout the night but it’s still quite innocent as he packs up to walk you home. 

You hold hands as you stroll through the village streets and even though a few stop to speak to him, they mostly leave you in peace and it’s kind of nice, more than kind of actually, it’s really nice. It’s one of the best nights of your entire life, and you hate the idea of letting it go even for just a little while. 

When you make it back to your door, you linger there. He’s not expecting an invitation in, you know this and you’re not going to give one either, but you do feel some sort of  _ need _ to make sure he understands how much everything he has done for you has meant. 

‘I might not be there, not quite yet…” you say, though it might be more lie than truth at this point. “But I promise, Sarutobi Konohamaru, that I will give you absolutely everything I can until I catch up, okay?” 

“That’s more than enough for me,” he says, whispering your name before bringing your lips to his one last time. “I only ever needed the chance.”

“Next time we’re sparring,” you say with a wide, evil grin as you shut the door behind you. You can hear the groan outside your door but you know he’s smiling all the same. 

“That’s all I need too, just the chance…” 


End file.
